Posted By Paul Flannery On October 14, 2010 @ 9:33 pm In General | 4 Comments

Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA player’s union, said in a statement that the union would mount a legal challenge against the league’s crackdown on technical fouls. Hunter added that the players were not consulted about the rule change before it was implemented.

Here’s the statement:

“We have not seen any increase in the level of ‘complaining’ to the officials and we believe that players as a whole have demonstrated appropriate behavior toward the officials. Worse yet, to the extent the harsher treatment from the referees leads to a stifling of the players’ passion and exuberance for their work, we fear these changes may actually harm our product. The changes were made without proper consultation with the Players Association, and we intend to file an appropriate legal challenge.’”

The union’s move comes on the heels of Kevin Garnett’s ejection Wednesday during the Celtics[1] exhibition game with the Knicks. Garnett was issued two quick technical fouls just before the end of the first half.

[2] (For more on Garnett’s ejection and how the new rules affect the Celtics, click here). : http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2010/10/14/technically-speaking-celtics-need-to-adjust/